Click Here for Update 45
: Look, somebody pushed the button and now we have to have an emergency meeting. I vote for ejecting Morgana.
: “This is bigger than I thought. We can’t leave this be…”
: The game will really start pushing us hard to go into Futaba’s palace from the first day it’s available. I’m not sure why, given that Futaba’s palace isn’t a huge difficulty spike.
: “I applaud your cool-headedness, but it’ll be too late if we wait until after something’s happened. If Medjed does something drastic, what will people think of us?”
: “Let’s get this assembly out of the way. We have our own business to attend to!”
: “Huh? Did you have school too, Yusuke?”
: “I’m doing laundry, so these are the only clothes I had to wear.”
: I’m pretty sure that the way the game’s engine works, they have one flag that sets the outfit for all of the characters at once, and they didn’t feel like hard-coding an exception.
: “You really should buy a couple more outfits…”
: “Come now, we didn’t gather here to make small talk, now did we? Let’s get to Alibaba’s case.”
: “Well then, I’ll start. It looks like Futaba was listening in on Leblanc.”
: “But why would she want to listen in on the cafe?”
: “I have no idea.”
: “It’s just like Boss said… she’s a tough nut to crack.”
: “In any case, her hacking skills will be absolutely necesary if we wish to stand up to Medjed. Going by what she has told us, we may even be able to identify who they are.”
: “We’ll have to trust in her skills for now, then.”
: If I had one complaint about this entire segment of the game, it’s that it kind of feels like Hashino wrote all of the other plot arcs and then someone pointed out “Uh, boss? How come only bad people have shadows?”
: “That doesn’t matter. A Palace is the materialization of distorted cognitions brought about by strong desires… that’s all. It just so happens that a lot of warped people turn out evil.”
: “She’s so young though… the pain she’s gone through must be the cause of her distortion.”
: “Maybe that has something to do with why she calls herself Alibaba.”
: I think I mentioned this before, but the reason she calls herself Alibaba is because it’s a kanji pun.
: “According to the chief’s story, Futaba has auditory and visual hallucinations, right? There’s a chance those are related to some important memories she’s holding.”
: Translation: Futaba’s arc has a lot of stuff that never really pops up again.
: “It’s hard to explain… but those memories may have been warped by the distortions.”
: “So do we all agree about taking on Futaba’s Palace?”
: “She’s asked us to do so. I don’t think that part is an issue. If we heal Futaba’s heart, it will not only help Boss, but she can then assist us with Medjed.”
: “I agree.”
: “I’ve been wonderin’ about how about how Boss said ‘a lot happened’ after Futaba’s mom died too.”
: “Hold on a second. Our investigation of her Palace may not go like anything we’ve done up to this point.”
: “Why’s that?”
: “Having an individual ask you to steal their heart is an extremely irregular case. There’s no telling what the Palace ruler’s disposition will be like, or the distortion that’ll be there. We may run into some unforeseen situations. Do you still want to go in?”
: I missed a ‘choice’ here that’s basically “Yes we should go in” or “I’m not sure, but yes.”
: “All right. Let’s just make sure we’re cautious.”
: “Well, let’s get crackin’ on those keywords, huh?”
: The one thing I think Strikers does well plot-wise is that it eliminates the stupid “we need to find the keywords” bits. Of course, I’m not a big fan of what they replace it with - namely that the Palace owners are now aware they have a Palace and can apparently go there themselves, but you wind up fighting their Shadow instead for some reason.
: “Let us try going to their house first.”
: “Boss is busy running the cafe, isn’t he? We should make sure he doesn’t suspect anything.”
: “I’ll be able to remember everything if I turn back into a human, right?”
: “That’s not important! I’m talking about my memories here! I… definitely want this mission to succeed. If we can retrieve Futaba’s memories, then I’d bet we can get mine back too…”
: I’m not sure what Hashino was thinking when he wrote this line, because the whole point isn’t that Futaba has lost her memory, it’s that she can’t live with the memory she has.
: “In any case, it’s not every day you stumble upon a hacker like her around. You really do have a gift, don’t you?”
: “You sure live up to my expectations.”
: We can now craft the Infinite Lockpick, which is great because we have enough regular lockpicks to last us the rest of the game and then some.
: “She’s a shut-in, so we just gotta figure out ‘what’ she thinks her house is. If she can’t get out, maybe a prison?”
: Just like the other times they’ve done this, the phone says something in Japanese that isn’t subtitled when they guess incorrectly.
: “Perhaps a labyrinth with an unknown exit?”
: This is a blatant reference to the bomb shelter dungeon in Innocent Sin, and it hurts that they’re having the female Tatsuya clone say it.
: “Hmm… maybe an oasis?”
: No Ann, that’s the final boss theme. We’re not quite there yet, though I’m pretty sure if I grinded for a few hours I could take him.
: “We don’t have nearly enough clues…”
: “If only we could ask her directly…”
: “We can. C’mon, let’s go see Futaba.”
: “But what will we say to get in?”
: “Whaddya mean? We’re sneakin’ in.”
: “You have to be joking. Won’t the door be locked for sure this time?”
: “I’ll take care of that. Oh, and I figured out where Futaba’s room was when I snuck in last night.”
: “What if we run into Boss, though? There’s no way we’ll be able to avoid his questions.”
: “He’s at work now, so I think we should be fine.”
: “Gettin’ cold feet, Makoto? Don’t worry, it’ll be nothing. We’ve gone through loads of shit like this already.”
: “…This is our only choice, right? I suppose Futaba did get in contact with Akira-kun… perhaps she’ll at least be willing to speak with him.”
: “There’s no answer.”
: “Futaba-chan. Are you there? I’m sorry for being startled and screaming yesterday. It was so dark that I got scared.”
: “No reaction whatsoever.”
: “This is gonna be hard…”
: “You’re listening, right, Alibaba?”
: “Is it Alibaba?”
: “You’re Futaba Sakura, aren’t you?”
: “She’s not responding again.”
: “Does she not like us saying her name?”
: “We don’t have time to dally around. We need her keyword before dealing with Alibaba’s identity.”
: “We want to learn more about you. If we don’t do so, we can’t steal your heart. The reason why we came here is because we need the keyword to enter your Palace.”
: “Also we need Sojiro’s credit card number, the expiration date and the three digits on the back. Don’t ask why.”
: “That’s why we want to talk with Futaba Sakura herself, and not Alibaba. You don’t have to show yourself. Just answer some questions for us. Chat messages are fine.”
: “All right then. Our leader, the guy who lives in Leblanc’s attic, wants to speak with you. We’re counting on you, Akira-kun. Try and get a keyword out of her.”
: This is a dialog puzzle. I don’t know why it exists. I’ll only post the correct answers.
: The IM thing barely shows the reply before it cuts off.
: “Tomb?”
: “You think that’s it?”
: “Try entering ‘tomb’.”
: “We got it…!”
: “Yes. It was plenty. You haven’t forgotten your promise of helping us if we complete your request, right?”
: I’d like you to pay careful attention to something over the next cutscene. Specifically, pay attention to their feet.
: “Yeah, we see that. Wait, what the - our clothes are still the same?”
: “Futaba herself is asking us to steal her heart. It’d be odd if she saw us as a threat. If she doesn’t see us as an enemy, then your clothes don’t change. That’s how it works.”
: Fun fact, this is why babies can’t change their clothes - they don’t have enemies yet. Once they get a few, then they can do it.
: “But more importantly, I told you to be cautious! Why’d you activate it like that!?”
: I’m just amazed it didn’t draw Futaba in, given that Ann got pulled into Kamoshida’s palace and was about the same distance away.
: “Is that why we ended up in a desert? Where’s the tomb? It’s so damn hot here.”
: “Even though we entered right in front of her room, we didn’t end up inside it.”
: “She must really want to keep people away from her.”
: “I see…”
: “What a bleak feeling this place has… it’s the complete opposite of Kaneshiro’s bank.”
: “Let’s hurry up and get goin’. Where’s the Palace?”
: “Is it that way?”
: “A tomb in the desert… I see. Anyway, let’s make our way there.”
: “Isn’t that kinda far?”
: “Are we gonna walk!?”
: Okay, I have several questions. First off, can he feel his tires? Wouldn’t his tires feel the sand?
: “I’ll make sure to put the AC on full blast!”
: …Why does the cat have air conditioning?
: “You’re so considerate!”
: “Hehe, r-right…”
: Warning: The following anime cutscene is non-canon. Joker is not, has never been, and will likely never be horny.
: Clearly, the animators have never been to a desert or they’d know you don’t really sweat like that. Sweat pretty much immediately evaporates in the desert, which is why dehydration is such a threat.
: I’d know, because I did like a seven-mile walk to Hoover Dam a few years ago.
: What the fuck happened to Makoto’s face? Why is she some kind of horrifying modern art self-portrait? I mean, I know the answer, and the answer is QUALITY.
: Speaking of QUALITY, I got a copy of both the P5 anime and The Day Breakers OVA. Here’s a quiz for you. You are a director at an anime studio and get commissioned to make a 6-episode OVA to tie in with Persona 5. Do you:
-
Use your budget wisely and make something that may not be great, but at least isn’t QUALITY.
-
Outsource to the lowest bidder and make the second episode a clip show.
: If you answered 1, I’m sorry, you’re not qualified to be the director of a video game tie-in anime. Go find a job at Studio Trigger, maybe they’ll hire you. If you answered 2, congratulations, you’re hired.
: Wait a second… didn’t Morgana say he wasn’t a self-driving car? Makoto doesn’t even have a hand on the wheel!
: Ryuji looks like he’s just died of fright.
: Not canon. I mean, the part with Yusuke not looking is. This is what happens when you outsource - they never read the goddamn notes.
: I… I don’t think I get it. Is Morgana one of those driver’s ed vehicles where there’s a brake on both sides? If that’s not a handbrake, what the fuck is it?
: Somewhere, at an anime studio in what is probably Croatia, Fred (the janitor who worked in the building where they made Nausicaa and creative consultant for Ni No Kuni 2) goes over the finalized storyboard for the “desert bus” scene.
: “Boss, none of this makes sense! Why does Ann have a handbrake on her side? Even if that’s not a handbrake, why does her reclining the seat back cause Joker to go flying? This is turning into another Ni No Kuni 2, and I haven’t even worked on that yet!”
: “And boss, the character notes say that Joker isn’t horny! Why is he horny?” Fred’s boss coughs. “Just fucking ship it. It’ll be fine.”
: “The AC ain’t workin’ at all! What the hell was that lukewarm air about!?”
: “That was the best I could do, so quit your yapping!”
: Sadly, Morgana would probably win that fight. Ryuji is the slowest character in the game, making him P5’s equivalent of Mark.
: “Geez, shut up! It’s hot, so don’t make me more irritated!”
: “To think her Palace would be a pyramid…”
: “Yes. It’s a pharaoh’s tomb.”
: “That’s how it’s mostly known. There are a variety of theories on it. For instance, it’s even said to be a device for reviving the dead.”
: “Reviving the dead, hm? It’s beautiful nonetheless… it’s perfectly conformed to the golden ratio…”
: “Hey, guys, can we go in already? I’m gonna melt…”
: The game kind of distracts you by showing you a couple of side paths on the map, but there’s not a whole lot there.
: By the way, remember how I told you to look at the party’s feet? Go a couple of shots up and take another look. Where they got their shoes from, I have no idea.
: The pyramid is very technology-themed. The pillars outside are covered in unicode, and the “2010” leads me to believe that it was copy-pasted from a registry entry in Windows.
: One side of the pyramid has this big structure with nothing on it. I don’t remember if it ever gets used or not.
: There’s a closed gate on the other side, which is how we’ll be getting in once we come back to actually clear this place.
: “Who knows what may await us within… what is your call, Joker? Shall we head inside?”
: The worst part is that we could stomp everything in this dungeon today without buying new equipment.
: “Okay. We’ll find out more about Futaba’s secrets in here, right?”
: “Indeed. Well, let’s head inside.”
: “It may be because Futaba’s room in reality has AC pumping through it. Either way, this is a relief.”
: “Huh, our clothes still haven’t changed even now. This has never happened to us before.”
: Take a drink every time Ann states the obvious.
: “It is refreshing that she doesn’t see us as a threat… but we are completely surrounded by walls.”
: “I guess this is a tomb… it’s probably not made to be easy to get into. Anyway, let’s explore.”
: “There’s way too goddamn many…”
: “Don’t ask for too much. You should be happy we’re not being attacked as we ascend. More importantly, I can totally sense the Treasure ahead. We’re getting pretty close now!”
: “These stairs seem to be headed into the heart of the pyramid. I wonder if that’s where the Treasure awaits…”
: Seriously, what is it with the party and stating things we can clearly see?
: “Welp, time to keep climbin’ then. Let’s go.”
: You can pretty clearly see what the gimmick of the pyramid is going to be - there’s doors on either side of the stairs that are gated off, and indentations in the walls that are going to become locked doors once we get this thing started.
: Oh yeah, like a laser hallway where everyone but Ryuji makes it through because he’s too busy looking at the weird holes in the walls. I wish the PSP version of Eternal Punishment was localized.
: Speaking of which, I’ve heard that the PSP version was widely considered not as good as the PS1 original, but the PS1 version’s translation is garbage.
: My favorite thing about this dungeon is that this is the only one where you can run from the start of the dungeon to the end on the day you fight the boss without fighting anything.
: “That’s Futaba’s Shadow. It isn’t the real her.”
: I was seriously considering making a “No fucking shit!” counter but then I realized we’d be well into the triple digits at this point.
: “Oh yeah, you’ve seen her face. True. This one’s kinda dressed like a queen.”
: “So you’re Futaba Sakura…”
: “Hey, where’s the Treasure?”
: “It’s doubtful that you wouldn’t know where it is.”
: “Hey, say somethin’.”
: “Don’t be like that! I’m sorry, Futaba-chan. It’s okay, there’s no need to be scared. So, can you tell us where your most treasured possession is?”
: Yusuke’s right though. Where has the plot actually gone since the start of the game?
: Honestly, you could probably remove the first three dungeons altogether and the plot would still be largely the same.
: “Let’s just leave her.”
: “Will you guys shut up for a bit!?”
: Well, this is weird. As it turns out, the Megami Tensei wiki doesn’t have a portrait for Futaba’s shadow. Guess I’ll just have to use her regular one.
: “Those who plunder my tomb. Why have you come?”
: “She talked… but…”
: “What’re you sayin’? You want us to steal it, right?”
: “If you believe you can steal it, then try as you might.”
: “That’s rather defiant-sounding.”
: “What are these voices?”
: They’re not subtitled, so I have no idea. You can hear a woman and a man shouting something, but I’m not turning on the English dub to find out what.
: “This is horrible…”
: “Hey, the hell is this?”
: “What was that!?”
: “She sees us as a threat now… what’s going on!?”
: I should mention that normally, Futaba is walking product placement. Her post-dungeon portrait wears a pair of red AKG headphones - in fact, AKG released a model that looks like the ones she wears.
: They were $400 and from what I remember were generally considered to be poor quality. I recall seeing a few photos from Japanese blogs of the pads disintegrating after a couple of months.
: “This… again… that’s right… I killed Mom. I don’t deserve to be alive… this place is a tomb… I’ll die here…”
: One thing I didn’t really think about much until I played Strikers is that half the cast are orphans. It’s my personal canon that at the end of the game, Joker goes home and is relieved that no one in the party will discover he has no parents.
: “This is bad - I’m having a hard time getting a grasp of our situation. We should regroup and-”
: Nothing about that last line makes any sense. How can you regroup? You’re already together!
: Someone on the Megami Tensei wiki actually tracked what that bar code is from - it’s from a third-party video cable for the PS3… and also the Wii for some reason.
: “We’re safe… that was too close.”
: “Now what!?”
: “Even if we wanted to ask Futaba what’s going on, it seems the door is shut. What should we do?”
: “I think our best option is retreating for now. This won’t be as simple as we expected. Why don’t we prepare a little more, then come back?”
: The only reason we’re not stomping the shit out of this dungeon is that the game won’t let us.
: “True. Then let’s retreat for now and return to the Palace another day.”
: “In order to stop them, we need to help Futaba Sakura before the 21st. Our deadline is about two days prior, so the 19th.”
: “Meetin’ up in Shibuya then comin’ here’s a pain, right? Let’s make this place our hideout for a while.”
: “Is everyone fine with this place being our next hideout then?”
: “We must take care not to be discovered by Boss.”
: “There’s no telling what may happen inside that pyramid. We all need to be cautious so that place doesn’t become our graveyard.”
: “Man, this is gonna be one crazy summer vacation. We’re dealin’ with international hackers and lookin’ for a Treasure in a pyramid.”
: “How can you be enjoying this!? This is a crisis of whether or not our group continues, you know!?”
: “I know that!”
: “That reminds me. While we were in the Mona Car, you were staring at me with a dirty look, you perv.”
: “Shuddup! It was a great view! You guys were lookin’ too, am I right!?”
: Joker pulls out the air horn.
: “Indeed. The pyramid’s golden ratio was truly a sight to behold.”
: “That ain’t what I’m talkin’ about…”
: Joker points. “Don’t listen to him. He’s thirsty for human women.”
: “Will we be all right like this?”
: This is something that is brought up here and then never gets brought up again. It’s implied that the “hallucinations” are actually a by-product of having a Palace, but we never see this with any of the other bosses.
: Tonight, we need to do something that is kinda bullshit. Remember how I said back in Madarame’s dungeon that we didn’t need a Hierophant persona until August? I was a little off.
: The guide has us clean Leblanc, which gives a small amount of kindness and also a point (two with matching Persona) to Sojiro’s confidant.
: Keep in mind that this happens after almost a solid week where we haven’t been able to do anything, including visiting the Velvet Room. Fortunately, we fused that bullshit overpowered Anzu.
: I don’t believe this is a permafuck if you don’t have a matching Persona. It’s only a one point loss, and we’ll have the ability to buy confidant points from Chihaya soon. Even without that, we’d still have spare nights in September if we really needed them.
: There’s even a trophy for it, and I have no idea why.
: “If we want Futaba’s help, we’re gonna have to steal her Treasure by the day before the deadline. So we have to find the Treasure by the 18th, and send the calling card by the 19th. It’s up to you when we go to the Palace, but keep the deadline in mind, all right?”
: “Oh no, Joker, I got an A- and not an A and now I’m afraid I’m going to stop being THE SMART GIRL.”
: “I couldn’t agree more… the truth is… recently I’ve started questioning the entire point of my education. What do I stand to gain from getting good grades and living up to the high expectations my sister has set for me?”
: “I spoke to Eiko about this matter as well, but the answer hasn’t become any clearer.”
: “You don’t remember her? Eiko Takao. We asked her about the job she has at the ‘salon’ in Shinjuku.”
: Oh wow, that’s one of the few legit typos I’ve seen in this game.
: “Because of those calls, we’ve actually grown somewhat close. When I voiced my concerns to her, she asked me how I would benefit from going to a top university… but… I couldn’t come up with a good answer.”
: “As for Eiko, her grades are… not the best, but she claims she doesn’t even think about that stuff. Apparently her parents can use their connections to find her a job…”
: “But isn’t that a little irresponsible? It’s nice she can rely on her parents, but this is her life, not theirs. …I guess that’s just a different way of approaching things.”
: “Even at that, her vision of the future is still clearer than mine.”
: “… I used to think doing what others expected of me was the best way forward. I was going to major in law, just like my sister did. And after that, I would simply have headed down whatever path society had made for me.”
: “But everything changed when I joined the Phantom Thieves. I’ve realized now there are more important things in life than being a prim and proper honor student.”
: So what you’re saying is that you’re a less interesting Elly… even though there’s a party member who basically IS Elly?
: “Honestly, I would have looked down on Eiko’s line of thinking in the past… but I know better now.”
: “Lately, Eiko’s been telling me whenver she buys makeup or finds a cute new outfit. That reminds me, she asked me the other day what hand cream I use.”
: “I sent her a picture… and it’s apparently the same brand they use in the nurse’s office at school.”
: “That stuff works wonders for dry skin, and it’s great value too. My father used to use it all the time. …Did I ever tell you he was a police officer?”
: So yes, there is a correct response for asking Makoto about her fucking hand cream. That is what this game has come to.
: The worst part is that her reminding Joker who her father was is just kind of rubbing in how much of a fucking ripoff she is.
: “He detested the corruption in our society and worked tirelessly to bring it to justice… but despite the rough exterior, he was extremely gentle deep down.”
: “When I was little, I told him I wanted to grow up to be a police officer, just like he was. He was glad to hear me say that, but quick to point out that he didn’t want me doing something so dangerous.”
: “I had completely forgotten about that dream, to be honest.”
: “I suppose… either way, after everything that happened… I have no intention of working with the police. Besides, they’re trying to stop the Phantom Thieves. What am I supposed to do, arrest myself?”
: “Hm… I think I need to reexamine what my goals for the future are, outside of just plain studying. You know, it feels like I remembered something important today thanks to you.”
: “I guess you could say my viewpoint has been broadened yet again.”
: “When I met Eiko, I realized how narrow my viewpoint really was. I only just learned recently that a chemise is now called a camisole, and a button-down sweater is a cardigan…”
: So wait, is this actually a time travel plot and Makoto is actually from the 1880s or something?
: “Why does the same thing have multiple names? I guess in the end, I’m just becoming more aware of how little I really know.”
: We have a bunch of stuff to do tonight. First, we need to go to Chihaya and get a boost to Kindness.
: Next, we feed the plant. With the boost, this is 7 points to Kindness.
: The guide has us go after an item from this vending machine at Iwai’s to trade. It took me like six reloads to get, and then I permafucked.
: The item you need is the “MRE Ration” and I believe you can only use this machine once a day.
: We can trade the MRE Ration for a Factorization Guide, which boosts knowledge gained from studying by 2. I thought this was a requirement to not permafuck but as it turns out we never actually study again.
: In fact, I’m not entirely sure why the guide has us get this in the first place. There was a trophy for reading all the books in the base game, but that trophy was removed from Royal. The only reason I can think of is there might be a Thieves Den thing for it now.
: Basically, the guide I’m using is bunk. Anyway, now we can visit Chihaya again. This is the point where I permafucked and didn’t realize it.
: “This is your first time coming to my stand, yes?”
: “Of course! Fate is… absolute.”
: “That’s wonderful! Congratulations! So, what’s worrying you? Is it the date of the ceremony, or perhaps the location of your honeymoon?”
: I wasn’t sure how big of a thing arranged marriages actually are in Japan, so I looked it up. Like the question of whether or not Kawakami is a prostitute, the answer is complicated.
: Japan has this long-standing practice of what’s called “Omiai”, which means “look-meet”. According to Japanese government data, before World War II, 69% of marriages were done this way.
: In the Pre-WWII period, Omiai was basically arranged marriage the way you’d think of it in feudal Europe: marriage done purely for political or financial gain.
: Omiai is kind of attributed as one of the reasons for the birthrate issue in Japan: in an Omiai marriage, everything was based on financial and employment standards that very few people could meet.
: Anyway, there’s still Omiai marriages these days, but they only account for like 5 to 6 percent of all marriages. As I understand it, they’re also much less formal.
: These days, there’s a whole matchmaking industry (including matchmakers owned by the government, weirdly enough) that has replaced Omiai.
: There’s a term for it that I won’t use because the guy who came up with it sounds like a fucking asshole who doesn’t understand basic socioeconomic issues.
: “Ah… so this is what it means to be weighed down by societal obligations.”
: “Please relax. The divine power will bring us your answer! Yes, I’ve seen everything. My… it seems you will face financial ruin if you decline…”
: “Um, Kurusu-san? This may be a good time to demonstrate your powers. This man is bound by the fetters of societal obligation… how should he move forward?”
: “Oh, that’s a wonderful suggestion! Though I guess anyone could have come up with that answer… incidentally, what would you say to make him choose his childhood friend?”
: “You know, not me because I’m into Yusuke, but… you know, thieves.”
: “Thieves…? She’s not a child.”
: Sir, this is a Wendy’s.
: “It’s happened again… so, you have altered fate once more… his fortune now states he will be quite successful. I had questioned your powers, but this is the third time…”
: “I have no choice… I must accept that fate can, in fact, be changed. You’ve proven that to me. And as a sign of thanks for showing me the truth… I’ll provide a special fortune service for you from now on!”
: Yes. The Greatest Weapon in the Phantom Thieves Arsenal just got even better. Money Reading doubles all money gained after ending a battle with an All-Out.
: “I see… I wish there was a way I could meet one… but for now, that wish only reminds me of my inability to change my own fate…”
: “M-My, it’s gotten so late! I should start packing up for today. I’ll see you next time! Farewell.”
: What you are about to witness is a permafuck in action.
: Can you guess the one arcana I don’t have a Persona for right now? The best part is that if we leave Leblanc tomorrow, we CANNOT RETURN FOR ANY REASON and miss out on that event forever.
: Next time, we’ll have a day in with Yusuke, another day in with Ryuji, have a suspicious gap where Kawakami’s Rank 10 scene should be, and make it to the day before we infiltrate the palace.